I go very slowly with my long worms not going downward but towards the glass. And when one has pinched I use the second one normally.
It requires time, but it works.
I love it. François, you’re a surgeon!
Thank you, François! Bonne année!
Got that one awhile back and I love it.
I concur with Francois about the Durand hurting corks, particularly the sides.
LOL, well done!
I had one old bottle with a very long, very spongy cork that the Durand worm did not penetrate fully. Despite very slow, gentle manipulation, the cork broke below the extent of the worm. I suspect a longer worm would have prevented that.
This is where Francois’ method of two long worms, like those that come with the Screwpull or Crueset, with one inserted at an angle and the other put in straight, is superior. If I feel zero resistance to turning as I insert the Durand worm in an old bottle, I’ll remove it and switch to the double worm method.
Howard, I anxiously await your comment on soft vs. hard corks. 
True, but that is only relevant if you save corks. I just want the cork to come out cleanly.
Side note, I probably have in excess of 100 antique corks, some that are quite old and precious. I love using them, like Francois, on an older bottle when I have time and patience and am confident about the cork. I enjoy the experience that Jcoley mentioned in another thread about the opening of the bottle and the decanting.
Often, however, I have to double back with the Durand. The Durand is brilliant and I cannot recall having a failed pull. Easy to use as well. When I have company over, I will always use a Durand on a maturing bottle.
On my daily drinkers or young bottles, I use the Big Campagnola corkscrew. For us cyclists, it’s a geeky thing, a corkscrew invented by the inventor of modernist cycling components. It’s a modern version of the Heeley double lever invented in 1888:
I have several of these, each with a different screw. They are gorgeous and work quite well. It’s a proven design for well over 120 years.
The Campy version has a sleeve that slides down the neck to the shoulder of the bottle, essentially using the bottle as a base for stability and ensure that the screw goes into the exact center of the cork and goes in straight. It works extremely well.
Here is the Campy:
We used an Alessi Anna G double handle for years. Finally the plastic base cracked and how is just on display. https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwionfDy-77YAhWX12QKHTpbB0wYABAbGgJwag&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESEeD22ka96F2QmFs7Y4Stx_WH&sig=AOD64_1p8a5zyCLS9cBZ-wgmJngVdnOcow&ctype=5&q=&ved=0ahUKEwiO8ejy-77YAhVHVWMKHbAjBQAQ9aACCM0B&adurl=
What I don’t like about the Durand as it pertains to the consumption of the bottle (as opposed to the saving of the cork) is that the Ah-So component can tear apart the sides and release small pieces of cork into the neck or wine.
For whatever reasons I’ve come to prefer a double-hinged model that has a wider body than the traditional design. It seems to provide a better grip for me as I age (along with my wine).
Alfert is bidding on this one:
https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2016/08/robotic-self-pouring-wine-machine-on-sale-for-25k/
I opened a '71 bottle of Spanna last night. I could easily insert a screwpull, but the cork wouldn’t budge. The cork was very soft, but stuck firmly to the sides of the bottle at the top (as it turned out), which was why it wouldn’t move. I worked at it with an Ah-So, but I couldn’t get it loose. So I gradually removed cork bits from the top, until I could get at the stuck part and remove it. But then the rest of the cork was too loose and ended up in the bottle. I strained the wine through a stainless steel mesh. (I don’t think the taste was effected by the cork, thank goodness.) Any ideas on how to do this better? I suppose I should have worked with the Ah-So a bit longer, until the cork was loose. My impression is it would have come out in one piece after that, if carefully pulled. Does someone have another way to do this? TIA!
Your example sounds like an archetypal need for and purpose of a Durand.
Hi Peter
When I get this wrong, it’s often through impatience. Taking time can make a big difference. The durand has the advantage (that is possible to do manually by using a ‘replacement’ spiral that’s narrow enough to allow the ah-so to fit in around it) of holding the cork on the spiral, whilst gently working the ah-so around the sides. In theory this should work almost every time, but impatience can easily spoil it.
FWIW the back up approach you used was one I’ve done many times before. No worries about that cork (though I always clean any mold off the top of the cork just in case), as it’s been in contact with the wine for many years at that point. In addition to a steel mesh, I tend to cut a small piece of muslin to pick up finer sediment, putting the muslin under the mesh ‘cradle’.
Regards
Ian
Yes, I think you’re right Ian. My bad. Re cork bits, isn’t there sometimes a problem if they get in the wine when contaminated with TCA?
In any case, the wine was great!
I actually just have a couple of extremely fine pins to hand - the ones used to pin a fabric when sewing. Some times, if I know the cork is likely to drop, I stick them into the cork just above the lip of the finish at a 30-40 degree angle (from opposite sides), before I make my first approach with the corkscrew. Then, if it slips, they catch it just below the lip, and allow me enough purchase with the tip of the corkscrew to proceed normally from there. I’ve also used them to detach a cork from the neck where it has stuck. As they’re much finer than a butler’s thief you can normally press them down between the cork and glass without difficulty. Going up and down enough times across the area where it’s stuck tends to do the job.
Thanks, Eric!
Love this one - great foil cutter. If you don’t like it you’re only down $9. Very durable, although this would be a day-to-day use thing as the only problem I’ve had is with much older corks. Even then, you just need to be careful.
Black Boomerang Corkscrew with No Blade" Foil Cutter" by HomeAndWine.com
+1
If you want the corks intact, Port tongs. Snap the neck off, then crack the glass off for a perfect cork.